Bed dog or bed hog: the realities of sleeping with dogs

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These photos say it all!!! Do you allow your dog(s) to sleep with you in bed? If so, what do you put up with? Myself, I have been fortunate enough to experience the ninja paw, nose spray in the face, the silent deadly (and sometimes not-so-silent deadly) and suffocation by fur to name a few...!

If you have a photo of your bed dog or bed hog, upload it here and tag the photo "bed dog"

Answers To This Question

My dog likes to sleep on my bed. As I get used to him sleeping next to me, I like it. Shows we get along well. He always gives me room to get sellted in the bed before he gets closer to me to feel warmth at night. I have also found a blanket that fits well for a dog on cold nights, as it is almost winter now.

I do like this set of photos of the dog in the bed. Yes, I have a dog that requires a night time treat to get him to move over so I can have some space in the bed. I pick something he likes to eat so he will move over faster. It does work.

I came back to check this site out again, and really liked the photos of the dogs hogging the bed. Bit by bit
I have been having better luck about getting some space when going to bed at night and getting him to move a little. It happens very slowly. The only way he moves is to get treats to eat where he must move to get them. Takes time for him to even do that.

Dogs tend to like the same part of the bed that the human likes.Sometimes you have to think up new ways to get the dog to move so you can sleep where you generally do. Giving them treats does help them move over. First give them a couple bits by hand where they are, than put the reat a few feet away on the bed. It may take a few minutes, but the dog will move to eat the treats. Now you have your half of the bed for the night.

Also, the other day dog sitting, boyfriend and I had two 70 pound cuddle bunnies, on a full sized bed. Things started off fine, but by the end of the night after all the covers had been pulled off and laid upon, I was pulling puppy dogs over me for covers. That is the handy part of having them up there.

I second Jonetta, I think it's important to wait a bit before allowing dogs on the bed. Potty training is important, and the kennel/room helps that a lot. Also, you don't want the dog growing up thinking it's HIS bed, and if bed is a special treat at first, it makes it even more fun to be on!

I used to have problems getting my dog to move over, but now try giving him a treat or 2 in his mouth. He stiill wil not move, but then I put more treats on a corner of the bed. He wants to eat them so bad, that he always moves to get them, and I just sleep in the bed with plenty of room for the night. Has worked every time for 6 months now.

I have 2 big labs and a rescue terrier and yes, of course they sleep with me in the king size bed. I love them and cannot force them out. It'd be easier if they didn't sleep at an ANGLE, taking up so much space, but I have to tell you, in the winter I don't have to turn the heat on in the bedroom because it gets so warm in there!

I have 3 that sleep with me, a 60lb pit bull, 50lb flat coated retriever and my newest puppy my 100lb black lab. Its great on chilly nights don't need extra covers. They all have their spots on the bed once I'm settle in. my pit bull also likes to step on my face in the middle of the night to get to the top of the covers so i will lift them and let her get under. she is spoiled and I cant imagine it any other way. -

Update....from almost a year ago. I still sleep with 3-4 chihuahuas and a pug. However, one of the chihuahuas had developed the habit of waiting until I am in bed and properly situated with the other dogs...and then getting off of her doggie bed and sitting at the side of the bed and waiting for me to pick her up and put her in bed. Guess I am just a softie...but poor Chiquita was abused, abandoned and then orphaned and I just don't have the heart to make her sleep by herself.

Oh yeah!! my 70lb boxer Nala IS my sleep bug...she's 8 years old and
still sleeps with mommy...& when I take care of my sister's chichi's
they too sleep with me..it keeps away the bad spirits and keeps ya
warm...-:))

We have three dogs and 4 cats and a king size bed. Our min pin sleeps under the covers at the bottom of the bed at our feet and she always has to be touching me. Our bug (boston&pug) sleeps under the covers beside me and loves if he can be in the middle of the bed. Our shitzu sleeps on top of the covers at the bottom of the bed by my feet. The cats come and go from our bed but usually one ends up sleeping on top of me or cuddled up beside me. My hubby sometimes complains about the bed being "toocrowded" but I just keep telling him that since they always are all on my side of the bed he has nothing to complain about....lol

We have three dogs and six cats and the dogs and one or two cats always sleeping on the bed with us. So, we had to go from a queen sized bed to a king. Now, we have three dogs and four cats sleeping on the bed because of the extra space!

I have been sleeping with dogs every night for the most part for 30 years. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have had some real bed hog dogs but these days I have a nice cozy bed partner named Kaylee, she's very considerate in the bed and I hope she stays that way.

Atom sleeps on her own bed which is an "extension" of our bed. In Winter, she sometimes creeps onto our bed for extra warmth but she's happy to be close to us there. Our 3 cats sleep on the bed when they feel like it but take up more room than Atom and us all together!

My dog sleeps where I sleep, in the bed or on the couch. She pesters me in bed by pawing at me, but not when we sleep on the couch. (Which is most nights) My last dog wouldn't sleep with me, unless we were at someone else's house and she didn't have her nest.

Our dog sleeps with us she is a 13 lb poodle, you would think she was larger, she always seems to fall asleep sideways leaving us little room on each side. If we try to move her she growls in her sleep, so I just move her and she doesn't even wake up. Then about 4 am she get up and gets off the bed to go in her own bed.
What can I say she is very spoiled, but she is also extremely well behaved.

Loki, our border collie, sleeps with us. His only tendency is to sometimes sleep at angles that takes up a lot of bed width. All we have to do is point to where we'd like Loki to move to and he moves, so we're very happy with his habits. He's a sweet dog. He's nearly 10 years old, and I love him totally.

Sam, the Maltese/Shihtzu, likes to use my nuts as stepping stones on his way to curl up between my legs, making for a very uncomfortable night! He walks onto my chest from the left side, usually sniffs my face, snorts a gooey mist in my face, turns, and each of his four feet will step on the left or right nut respectively. Why do I take this from a quadraped??

I cannot remember the last time my hubby and I slept without one of our dogs wedged in between us. Wouldn't have it any other way though, our dogs are both rescues from bad situations and we just cannot help but give them as much love and attention as they want.

Toby sleeps either at the foot of the bed and at the head of the bed on his pillow. Problem is that he moves back and forth between them, so when I am just about falling asleep I feel him get up and move from the foot to the head, then 10 minutes later he moves back to the foot...and so it goes for half the night till he finally decides to jump off the bed and try the sofa or the chaise. He's now 11 yrs. old and I obviously have a pampered pooch. My other dog, Tara, rarely sleeps on the bed. She prefers to be on her blanket on the floor at the foot of the bed.

I bought a bigger bed when my bf moved in thinking a king would be big enough for my boxer Dane mix me and him and yet all that did was open up more room for her and when she doesnt have enough room she will make room haha we love it tho plus forces him to snuggle with me every night no way out of it haha

shot lol i look at these pics and just laugh cause they dont compare to me and mine lol i have 9 babies in the home and at any given time they are all in bed with me or most are lol i would not kick them to a dog bed at all i wont be able to sleep without them stealing the covers kicking me to move over running across my head or the snoring they do and the silly dreams they have lol listening to them growl and bark in their sleep lol nope my bed is their doggie bed and not gonna change it either lol

My little cross Shih Tzu/Jack Russel rule the beds where ever he decides to sleep at night. Mostly my eldest daughters bed, stretches out at her feet to the point where her feet are hanging off the bed. By the way, ALL the stories are awesome ....and no matter how big or small our animals are, to me its pleasure heaven to have them sleep with me on our bed. Love all around <3

Just imagine how much room is left in the bed when lovely Brutus, my 5-years-old Dogue de Bordeaux, decides to come and sleep with 'Mom'... but he is so sensible and quiet that I hardly realize when he's getting on, I just wake up in the morning and find him there, snoring peacefully... Love it!

Charlie is my 6 year old Scottish terrier and I have had him since he was 6 months old. He sleeps in bed with my boyfriend and I. He starts the night out on his pink fuzzy blanket at the end of the bed laying horizontally, he has to be touching both Mike and I. Through out the night he works his way up the bed to where he is sharing my pillow, and under the sheets and down quilt. Which would all be okay as long as he didn't have puppy dreams where he whines and kicks his legs. It is too funny.

This is the nightly routine of our 7 lbs 3 year old mutt of a Maltese/Poodle/Yorkie. She falls asleep either on the sofa or the top of the sofa or her favorite cushion. Shortly after we have gone to bed, she works her way into our bedroom, sleeping on the cot next to the window. By 5 AM, she ends up in our bed under the cover. Comes 7 AM, I either open my eyes to her sleepy face or feel her hairy butt up the back of my head!

I have 4 chihuahuas and a pug that insist on sleeping with me...usually in physical contact, sometime under the covers. They always jockey for the "best" place, but wind up sleeping in the same place every time.

I have 4 chihuahua mixes that sleep in my bed with me, Lady, the oldest when we get in bed, she likes me to hug her, the first hour or so, then she goes and lays down under the covers, during the night, Nana usually sneaks up on me and lays under my arm, so that I can hug her, Lilly usually sleeps under the cover or inside the pillow cases, all three girls like sleeping under the cover or inside pillow cases, and Jack, my only boy, sleeps ontop of the covers, by my feet, but not getting near my feet at all, cause I toss and turn all night long when Im finally finished tossing and turning, I usually feel almost all 4 of them against my back or behind my legs

Phoebe sleeps in bed with my boyfriend and I. When we first adopted her, we tried to get her to sleep in a crate at night. Ben, however, felt bad that we got to sleep in a king-size tempur pedic bed and she didn't, so she started sleeping with us. Pheebs sleeps directly in between us and has her own blanket that she sleeps underneath. She will be restless and won't go to bed unless we tuck her in. So cute!

I have two goldens and three cats. Most of the time, at least two cats and one golden sleep with me. sometimes I get about six inches to sleep as the dog is spread out. but I wouldnt have it any other way. After a while, the dogs get off the bed because it gets too warm.

I let my dog, Buddy, sleep with me. He's a chihuahua mix and he likes to sleep behind my knees when I lay on my side or in front of my stomach. I sleep with a regular sheet and a comforter. He usually sleeps between the two blankets b/c I can't stand feeling his wet nose against my leg in the middle of the night, or his whiskers poking the crap outta me. But if I need to adjust positions, he doesn't really care. I mean, he'll grunt b/c he doesn't like to be woken up but he'll just go right back to sleep. If I don't want him in my bed, I'll just tell him to go sleep in his doggy bed and he listens....for most of the night. I usually wake up with him up against my back with his head on my pillow. lol

It's true - a Cocker Spaniel can take over the entire bed worse than a boxer! Our last girl used to stretch out in between us lengthwise then gradually she'd start to push with both sets of legs until we were teetering on the edges and she was fully out. Right now, we've just had to put down the senior kitty who used to sleep between our pillows (and occasionally across my throat) but his place has been taken over by the senior Shih Tzu who needs more mommy cuddle time as she starts to wind down. My current Cocker and toy Eskie cross most nights have to sleep in their kennels so that I can get a full nights sleep. I admit, I don't sleep as well when the Cocker isn't curled into my tummy, but with the old one near my chest, it isn't safe for her. Oh, and then there's the Sallymander, the other old kitty. She just finds the spot that pins me the best and settles in. :D Love my babies, too.

Both! We own a B & B for dogs, so my husband and I have to sleep in separate beds (he gets the pull out couch / bed) at night so there is enough room for the dogs AND us! Since, many sleep on the floor next to us, the 2 rooms makes enough room to walk around, too.

Bruiser sometimes is a bed hog toward morning, but he usually occupies the foot of the bed at night, keeping my feet warm. Anyway, sleeping with a dog, despite the furry bedding, is better than sleeping with a man. Even if a dog cramps your sleep style, he/she won't cramp your lifestyle during the daytime. Not only that, but most marriages don't last as long as one's relationship with their dog nowadays. Dogs are much more faithful.

My 12 year old doxie has always slept next to me and doesn't wake me up. He is a love and I wouldn't have it any other way. I adopted a Japanese Chin who sleeps on a pillow under my bed but comes up on to the bed to sleep towards morning. I would let her sleep with me all night but she prefers it this way.

I bought a brand new queen mattress because the single wasn't enough room for both of us to be comfortable. After I bought the new bed for hundreds of dollars, his interest in sleeping on the bed with me disappeared!

Well, with 4 doggies, I too have to get comfy in bed BEFORE they hop on!! and once they show up, I am so tight under the covers, I can barely move an arm.... let alone roll over or change positions !!! But I LOVE them all, and would not change a thing !!!

My doggies always used to like to dive under the covers and sleep at the foot of my California King Bed. Problem is I was always relegated to either edge of the bed where I would remain all night so I would get in bed first, get comfy then let them in knowing that is how I would wake up in the morning. As much of a pain as it was, I miss it and my girls too. RIP Jessica & Ginger.

We don't let them sleep with us everynight- its just not possible. We will let them come and lay with us for special occations and such and maybe every so often 1 or 2 at a time will spend the whole night. It is amazing that even the smallest needs so much room as soon as they get into bed, no curling up but we ALL need to stretch out and diagonally too!

Molly my staff cross starts off at the bottom of the bed and throughout the night makes her way up the middle and between my wife and me, to slowly take over the bed which leaves us hanging on for grim death to a bit of the bed she has left us lol

My MASTIFF has running dreams nightly. But she SPASMS and the whole bed rocks n shakes n wakes me up every time! If I am deep asleep I wake up with my heart racing cuz it feels like an earthquake or someone jumping on the bed. The funniest is when she kicks the other dog while he's fast asleep. He wakes up growling and startles himself!1 IT's like a 3 ring circus in my bed. Maybe that's y I am single?? lol. King size bed? I get three inches and no leg room..

I have a chihuahua/min pin, and we've never had a problem sleeping together since she's so small. But if someone else sleeps with us, she gets pretty confused and doesn't know what to do with herself. She usually ends up curling up against my stomach or between my legs somewhere.

Bed Hog! He actually has his own 'room' a bed downstairs and a bed in our room. He wanders between all. He mainly prefers turning in circles and 'digging' at the duvet until it's 'just right' before settling down to a night of loud snoring and licking. I find it really annoying. Until I go away from home and can't get to sleep without it! You have to love them!

When I viewed your pics above, it made me laugh because that is exactly how we sleep in our house. 4 dogs sleep with me and me hubby and it gets very crowed. we sleep in a queen size bed and we are looking for a king size bed.

Oliver sleeps with me, but he's great. He just curls up in a ball and that's it, sometimes he snores, but, so long as he doesn't fart in bed, we're all good.
He has to sleep on the non-wall side of the bed, though. He's horribly claustraphobic, and, if you put him between you and the wall, he panics.

I actually got a king sized bed so that we could ALL fit at the same time. One Black Lab, One Weimaraner and two miniature dachshunds. I feel so much safer having the dogs in the bed with me. One Doxie and the Weim actually get right under the covers with me. I am a VERY good sleeper, but I can tell if anything is wrong if they get antsy or start barking. THEN I know that I'd better check things out. By the way, I've taught my dogs "excuse me" and they are wonderful bed partners.

my dog used to sleep in his big kennel or on his bed in the living room, until I invited him to sleep the night on the futon at the foot of my bed, months later the futon is folded down and pushed against the bed to create one big comfy bed that he sleeps on with me every night. 100lb giant doberman, every night he works his way up to my feet despite having a bed area bigger than mine :3

One of our dogs is definaltly a bed hog. She sleeps between me and my husband but try to move her and forget it! She is very loveable and especially sensitive to me if I am not feeling well. She stretches out full length. She always wins!

a year after we rescued Natasha and Hagar Honey, they turned into bed hog dogs, WITH ME. Thankfully at the time I had a waterbed so it WAS big enough for the 3 of us, then one of them poked a hole in the mattress, got a basic twin mattress to put in the frame, I ended up sleeping on the plywood base while they got the mattress. Then when I got a regular bed frame, they tried PUSHING me out of THEIR bed. I had to resort to putting old blankets on the floor next to my bed so they could still be close to me, but I would get to me in my bed, with my pillow and blankets

Two bed hogs. I get sandwiched in between my blue babies and it actually helps with my painful back. I'm thankful that God sent me these angels. I found this good night prayer I thought I'd share :
The Sleeping Puppy
Now I lay me down to sleep,
The king-size bed is soft and deep.
I sleep right in the center groove
My human being can hardly move!
I've trapped her legs, she's tucked in tight
And here is where I pass the night
No one disturbs me or dares intrude
Till morning comes and "I want food!"
I sneak up slowly to begin
my nibbles on my human's chin.
She wakes up quickly,
I have sharp teeth-
I'm a puppy, don't you see?
For the morning's here
and it's time to play
I always seem to get my way.
So thank you Lord for giving me
This human person that I see.
The one who hugs and holds me tight
And shares her bed with me at night!

We have a footlong wiener dog named Oh Henry. He likes (as most small dogs do) to sleep under the blankets. One of the great unsolved mysteries of life (similar to how do they get the caramel in the caramilk bar), is how does a foot long wiener dog stretch out to become TWO feet long under the blankets!!?!?!?

My pittie Ryder is most assuredly a BEG HOG but when i need a break I say "your bed" and he reluctantly moves to his bed beside me in the floor. He also likes to step on my face in the middle of the night to get to the top of the covers so i will lift them and let him get under. He is spoiled and I cant imagine it any other way. Worse thing is if he hears something while under the covers and he barks and jumps out, uncovering me and my husband and waking us up with a startle but that is rare :)

Bed hogs for sure!!!! My dogs sleep earlier than my youngest boy and so they go up to the bedroom ahead and hog the bed. My youngest has to find a place to push himself in. Sometimes I would find him all scrunched up and I would bodily push the dogs aside so he can stretch out but he would complain and say to me not to wake the dogs up!

I would love to sleep with my dog, but I DO know the reality. After he got past the puppy stage and was just too big, I put a soft bed by the side of my bed, directed him to it and that was the end of that. He definitely tried to sleep with me, I told him "DOWN" every single time. He whined a bit, but got over it in about a week.
I miss the cuddling and would love to have him in bed with me occasionally, but it's no good to confuse him now that he knows the rule.

I have a 'frenchie' and he has to make a nest before going to sleep..... dragging his blanket all around the bed until content (my hubby & I usually make the noise of a truck backing-up when he's doing this).... it also ends up with my hubby's feet hanging out of the bed because Teebs has taken up all of his side. Ya gotta luv-em :-)

My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is usually content to curl into my tummy and add his warmth to my sleep. But occasionally, he gets "feisty" and gets the kicks and twitches! Sometimes HE grumps that I am taking up too much room, and will flounce to the other side of the bed! It's a mutual admiration society though, and if anyone loses sleep, it's invariably me! I do love that dog!

I rescue small dogs, mostly mini doxies. Doxies love to burrow under the covers and they keep me toasty warm on cold winter nights. They're very calm sleepers so I don't get pushed out of bed. I did have a doxie/Jack Russell mix and he was such a character. He'd kick and sleep on my head and often had very active dreams. I miss him so much. I love my "Three (or Four) Dog Night(s)". I once had two cats who were so like doxies--they always slept under the covers with me too. I plan to never have an empty bed.

Trixie is usually a good "bed dog", but if she feels like she doesn't have enough room, she will try to push you over by rooting around on you with her nose. She, also, uses this technique on my 2 yr. Old grandson to keep him from rolling out of the bed! Lol

Jonetta, glad she's got a jacket! With all that attention I"m sure she'll be a water dog in no time! But watch out, once a dog gets that "zen for the water", as I call it, they'll be pulling you to every stream, lake, river and sea they catch scent of! :-)

MissT - of course! And deciding who to sleep with....and jumping off our bed onto our oldest daughter's head in the middle of the night....LOL She's a good little camper, though! And she loves to swim, but is a little frightened of the boat still...

I can agree with that decision, Jonetta. Doggie must be potty trained before getting on the bed. (I've heard one or two bad stories of dogs let on too early ....). And isn't part of the fun of camping keeping the people around you awake? ;-)

Lily only sleeps with us when we camp - otherwise, she has her room. She's not 100% potty trained yet, so yeah, not going in my nice king pillow top yet! :) She's a good co-sleeper when we camp though, unless she's not tired when we go to bed....